A Beautiful Little Fool

Daisy Buchanan is the reason for James Jimmy Gatz to ultimately become the rich, charming and
successful man that readers have come to love and recognize as The Great Gatsby. Although the books
narrator, Nick Carraway, cannot help but feel baffled and awed by the luxurious and elite life that Gatsby
lives in, we discover that Gatsby did not come to this world in a golden crib. James Gats was born to a
poor German American family who farmed for a living in rural North Dakota. At the age of 17, he
dropped out of St. Olaf College in Minnesota and changed his name to Jay Gatsby. Although he was born
poor, the young Gatsby had big dreams, but his ambitions and the new life that he yearned for would only
be complete if he had a beautiful, rich and sophisticated girl by his side. Her name was Daisy and from
the moment that he met her and the prestigious life she led, he knew he had to have her.
Dazzling and fascinating young Daisy was loved and desired by countless men including the most
influential and resourceful individuals in the city. Her charm and status made her an ideal candidate for a
wife and she knew it. That is why Gatsby could not approach her without deceit and lies; after all, he was
not on the same level as all of the other men. He had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let
her believe that he was a person from much the same stratum as herself- that he was fully able to take
care of her. (The Great Gatsby p.116). They fell hopelessly in love with each other. The officer looked
at Daisy while she was speaking, in a way that every young girl wants to be looked at sometime. (The
Great Gatsby p.57) Nonetheless their romance was destined to have some sort of complication; Jay had to
leave for the army. This is a crucial point in the story, where both characters had the opportunity to prove
their love and loyalty to each other despite the distance. One of them prevailed and the other one failed.
Daisy was popular in Chicago, as you know. They moved with a fast crowd, all of them young
and rich and wild, but she came out with an absolutely perfect reputation. (The Great Gatsby 58).
Although she appeared to be innocent and pure in the beginning of the book, her priorities came to light
when she chose money over love. Daisy valued appearances, reputation and comfort over anything else.
Even though she was in love with another man, she grew desperate and married Tom Buchanan because
of the life he could provide for her. At first she seems happy. She has a beautiful little girl, a wealthy
husband and a magnificent house in the most prestigious side of New York, but nothing is what it seems.
If she had been truly satisfied with her life, she would not have run into the arms of her ex-lover without
thinking twice. The author gives the reader hope that Daisy is not the superficial and shallow women she
has proven to be and that love would ultimately prevail.
After all those years, she is given a second chance to choose emotion over wealth when Tom
becomes aware of her affaire with Gatsby. At the beginning, she rebels against Tom and confronts him
about his own infidelities. It looked like she would leave him for the man with whom she should have
been with in the first place, but the situation took an unexpected turn. Tom and Daisy are the same. They
value their image and assets more than feelings and devotion. They have a relationship based on
convenience; neither of them where in love with each other when they got married, but Daisy needed a
strong and affluent husband and Tom wanted a beautiful and naive wife to have by his side. During the
five years that they where together, both of them grew to care for one another and since their marriage is
of mutual beneficence they could not leave each other. That is why Daisy makes the final decision of
choosing Tom over Gatsby. She would never feel the affection, passion and happiness that she
experienced with Gatsby, but she preferred emptiness and sadness as long as she kept the luxurious life
that she was accustomed to.
In conclusion, Daisy is a superficial character that values comfort and security over feelings.
Despite the many opportunities to be with the man she had fallen in love with since the beginning, she
chooses a life of deceit and superficiality with a man that has the same philosophy of life. They do not
care for those that they hurt around them, they are selfish and egocentric people that think only for their
benefit and well being. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and
creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept
them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made(The Great Gatsby p. 141).